The Fox and The Hound
by Raven Wintersbane
Summary: A happy, ordinary day turns very deadly for one lonely fox. Thanks to the kindness of a certain redheaded German Shepard, it gives the fox another chance at life and a new chance at love. Rated M for later chapters and language.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: '_My name is Roxas'_

The young fox trotted happily through the forest, tail held high, ears perked up with a spring in his step. He breathed in and simply reveled in the multitudes of varying scents that cascaded around him. He smelled flowers with invigorating aromas, small creatures that scampered about to and fro as well as far off scents of other animals. His eyes became fixated on a blue butterfly that fluttered near his face and he giggled when it landed daintily on his nose. It lingered a moment then flew up into the trees, the fox's crystalline blue eyes followed until it had passed beyond sight. Smiling, he continued on.

In the midst of his delightful walk, something forced him to stop. The forest had gone eerily silent; it seemed like everything just died off, giving off a ghastly deserted feeling. However the sense of danger was very much alive as it crept slowly through the fox's entire being. Every hair stood on end as fear and adrenaline pumped throughout his body.

He looked around and held back a defensive snarl as he searched for the source of such oncoming danger. And that's when he saw it, perched atop a large overgrown root, glaring down at him some fifteen feet away.

It was a wolf.

A large, silver haired wolf with piercing eyes of the coldest turquoise. He wore a malicious grin that made the fox's blood turn to ice, and those eyes, god those eyes... Those horrible, horrible eyes...!

The wolf licked blood off of his lips hat remained from his previous encounter with another wolf; it was quite obvious who had won that battle.

"Hello there, my tasty little friend~" the wolf crooned darkly with a sadistic chime of joy intertwined in between. It was a sound that made the fox's skin crawl.

The fox turned and ran in the opposite direction and he prayed that he could escape, but before he even managed to put any sort of distance between them, a strong hand harshly grabbed a fistful of his blonde locks and yanked him backwards, throwing the fox to the ground. The next thing he knew, a heavy weight was on top of him and frightened bright blue met feral turquoise lit with insanity.

A fist came down and collided with the fox's cheek, snapping his head to the right and making his ears ring. The fox vainly struggled and managed to throw a fist back up at the other male but it was caught then his arm was twisted behind his back. He cried out loudly in pain as he felt something within his arm crack and a new pain exploded in the back of his head then in his side.

The silver wolf rose, releasing the fox's damaged arm and sent a powerful kick directly into the fox's ribcage, causing a scream to emit from the blonde then. Several more blows were dealt to him before he began to feel light headed. The wolf crouched down close to the damaged fox, who was on his side, trying to crawl away from his attacker, one arm rendered useless. He heard the wolf chuckle darkly at his vain attempt to escape, then he was rolled over onto his back.

"Nice try. But it's been a long time since I had fox. I've all but forgotten what it tastes like." he said sadistically.

Then the young fox felt his arm being grasped and he let out a scream of pure agony as he felt set of sharp canines tear maliciously into his flesh. Tears began freely flowing down the fox's cheeks at the anguish. The world started to fade but he was brought crashing back into it as he felt the same canines shred through the fabric of his pants and bite into his leg, ripping another chunk out of the boy.

Another scream echoed throughout the forest and this time, the fox kicked the wolf in the face with his uninjured leg and scrambled for the knife he had in his pocket. In the wolf's slight disorientation, the fox took advantage of the moment and rammed the blade to the hilt in the wolf's side. The wolf let out his own scream of pain then, it was a chilling, non-animalistic sound that horrified the fox.

As soon as he withdrew his blade, the assaulted, bloodied fox half ran, half limped away as quickly as his wounded body would carry him. He ran a good two and a half miles before his body could bear with him no longer, and forced him to collapse against the trunk of an oak tree.

His breathing was now very ragged and quick with effort from running in such pain. Tears continued to roll down his face as he witnessed just how badly injured he was. He could scarcely believe it.

A large bite on his forearm and upper leg left torn, bloodied muscle and tissue exposed. Lacerations ranging from mild to severe riddled his body, as well as deep cuts plus bruises that were already turning a dark purple. Blood streamed down his arm and pooled beneath him in the soil. He lost feeling in the arm that was missing a chunk, and his leg started to tingle too.

The fox let out a dry, humorless chuckle.

"Heh… And to think that today began so wonderfully. But now I'm going to die of infection and blood loss because of that monster…. And no one will know, and no one will care…." He said despairingly, beginning to surrender his will to live. He knew that nothing would save him from whatever abyss awaited him now.

~.~.~.~.~

"And stay out, ya mutt!" An angry rabbit hollered at a tall, lithe German Shepard.

"I am NOT a mutt! I'm a purebred German Shepard ya damn rodent!" the Shepard hollered back.

Flustered and angry, the spiky haired brunette nearly sputtered, lost for words. Nobody _ever_ spoke to him that way, least of all his Shepard companion. He merely walked back inside and snatched the Shepard's black suitcase filled with his belongings and threw it out the door by the purebred's feet. The Shepard flinched slightly as the door slammed shut.

"Tch… Dammit Sora…." He cursed softly as he stooped down and picked up his suitcase. Then he reluctantly turned away from his former home and started to go back to his old home.

He and the rabbit; Sora, had been living together for over two years. At first, it was all so wonderful; they hung out every day, goofed off, and laughed. They had a great time. But then Sora started to change. He got more irritable and angrier easier and easier with every passing day to the point where it seriously began affecting their close friendship. With Sora being bipolar, he knew that things were going to be difficult. He didn't realize just how difficult it'd be.

The purebred sighed and ran a hand through his wild, spiky vermillion hair as he walked back to his quiet home. He really began wishing that he would be able to stay with the rabbit; he didn't like to be alone.

Upon reaching his home, he smelled a bittersweet, iron-tinged scent that he knew all too well.

_Blood…._

He raised his head and sniffed the air; the wind carried the scent to him from the northeast. He wanted to know where the source of it originated.

He tracked the scent for about a mile before he came to a wooden railing that dropped off downhill into a forest. And so the Shepard swung his legs over the railing and made his way down onto the low-lying land. No more that thirty-five feet away from the railing, he spotted the source of the bittersweet scent.

A young, golden-haired fox; slumped against an oak tree, injured and bloody.

Shock quickly took him and he started to approach the fox to help him.

As soon as he got approximately ten feet away, the fox's head snapped up and feral fear filled a pair of bright blue eyes as he witnessed the Shepard before him.

"S-stay away. Please d-don't hurt me." The blonde fox begged as he leaned back into the tree, wishing he could disappear from the sight of this potential threat.

"Easy, easy…" the redhead soothed, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help, I promise."

After he approached the fox, he knelt down and reached out. Purely out of instinct, the fox lashed out at the red haired Shepard, slashing him across the hand, drawing crimson blood.

"Don't touch me!" the fox yelled.

The red head looked over the fox and his heart ached out of sorrow and pity. His ears were flat against the sides of his head, golden tail curled between his legs, all the while shaking and teary eyed.

The Shepard knew that he shouldn't have tried to touch him in the state he was in. A wounded feral animal will fight out of fear and attempt to defend themselves. Hell, _any_ wounded animal would fight and lash out to say alive. He pulled his hand away and shook it vigorously to make the awful sting go away. He looked back at the fox once his hand stung no more

.

"Man… You poor thing….. I'll ask questions later but right now, you need to come with me or you'll die. I'll take you to a hospital and get you taken care of. I promise I will not hurt you."

Tentatively, he reached his hand out once more. He hoped that the fox would accept it and allow him to care for him. The Shepard didn't want to see such a beautiful creature perish and be left for vultures and scavengers.

Instinctively, the fox leaned forward slightly and sniffed the scent coming off of the Shepard. And said Shepard watched happily as he saw the fox slowly reach out with his good arm. His hand hovered over the redhead's for a moment or two before finally taking the outstretched hand offered to him.

A gentle smile came to the Shepard's face, "Alright, let me help you stand up so I can get you to safety."

The fox nodded in agreement as he braced himself, and so the redhead gently helped him stand up, a soft gasp of pain escaped the fox as he felt his wounds again. Swiftly but gingerly, the Shepard lifted the fox up and proceeded to carry him bridal style.

As the two left the forest, they were completely unaware of the pair of piercing turquoise eyes that watched them from the darkness.

~.~.~.~.~

The next thing the fox knew, he was lying in a hospital bed; all bandaged up and in a _hell_ of a lot of pain. Everything was horribly foggy, so he blinked several times in an attempt to refocus his vision. Once he managed to get his eyes focused, he realized that he wasn't alone in the comfortingly dark room.

A mouse with light blonde hair was standing next to his bed, checking his monitors and various readings. She noticed that he was awake and smiled.

"Hey there. How are you feeling? Better, I hope. I'm your nurse, my name is Namine. If there's anything you need, anything at all, please don't hesitate to let me know right away. Alright?" she said sweetly.

The fox wasn't sure how to react to such kindness, so he merely nodded.

"Is there anything I could get for you right now?"

He thought for a moment then nodded in confirmation. His throat was absolutely raw and parched from screaming so much

.

"Water…" he rasped softly.

And just like that, the female mouse hurried out of the room to fetch him some water.

The fox sighed and closed his tired eyes; he decided to start listening to his surroundings. He heard a familiar voice just outside his room that made his stomach flutter, not necessarily in a bad way though. He listened intently to that wonderful, soothing voice as it conversed with another person.

"It's a good thing that you brought him in, Axel. A little longer and he would've died. It's extremely rare when feral animals survive long enough to wind up here."

"Well I don't think he's entirely feral. He was badly hurt and I'm sure any other animal in my situation would've brought him in, too." The Shepard responded.

"Not entirely feral? What about your hand? How do you explain that?"

"Accidents will happen, any sort of animal would react the same when approached if severely injured."

"Hmph. Be that as it may, you do know that if the boy proves to be too feral, won't recover or contracted rabies, we will have no other alternative but to euthanize him."

Alarm coursed through his body and he sat up quickly, too quickly, for his body screamed in protest. And in his panicked state, he managed knocked over a clipboard that hung from the side of his bed with his foot. It landed on the tiled floor with a loud clatter. As a result, he heard footsteps and the Shepard identified as Axel, and another man stood in the doorway.

Hand clutching his arm that suddenly throbbed in pain, the blonde trembled slightly as he struggled to collect himself and even out his breathing. He directed his attention at the man that he registered as a Siamese cat.

"Please don't kill me. I- I don't want to die. I haven't done anything to be killed." he begged softly, in new fear for his life.

"Hmph. Euthanization may be our only alternative if you don't successfully recover or if you turned out to have contracted a viral infection or disease. Besides, it's not nearly as bad as dying painfully at the claws of another predator. Best to put you out of your misery, no?" the doctor stated coldly as ice.

"No! It isn't! I may not have lived in a 'civilized' town or city but I know that 'euthanize' is just a fancy word for '_kill'!" _The fox yelled in defense.

The doctor showed no sign of being affected by what he had said, nor did he show any kind of emotion.

"It matters not. It all depends on _how you act_. You can take the fox out of the forest, but you cannot take the forest out of the fox. Have a pleasant evening." With that, the doctor spun on his heels and exited the room.

The young fox's heart hurt terribly at the cold harshness of the man. He simply couldn't believe it. With a heavy, downtrodden sigh, the fox hung his head.

Again he heard footsteps but when he looked up, he saw that it was merely Axel coming closer to him. When his bright blue eyes met the fiery emeralds of the Shepard, he suddenly felt at ease, as if he were untouchable and all that mattered was that he was alive. Alive; simply because of the kindness of another creature.

"Is this how my kind is looked upon? As nothing more than feral beasts that aren't to be trusted?" the blonde questioned.

Axel shook his head quickly and knelt down so that he was at the fox's height.

"No. That's just how Dr. Vexen looks at them. He has a vendetta against so called 'wild' or 'feral' animals. Back a few years ago, a silver wolf killed his wife and three year old son and left him badly wounded. He was never the same after. But it's nothing against you personally, so don't worry." Axel reassured kindly.

"Um and hey… I never caught your name before… Would you mind telling me?" the redhead asked softly and tentatively.

The blonde fox locked eyes with Axel and paused for a moment before he spoke.

"Roxas. My name is Roxas."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Holy crapola! It's been a super long time since I uploaded the first chapter! Gosh I'm sorry! So! This is my first officially posted fanfiction on this site. I'm still kinda new at this so reviews are much loved and feel free to critique. But don't be too mean! / Smut will ensue in later chapters and I hope you all can enjoy this version of the children's movie The Fox and The Hound! (and I hope it doesn't suck!)

Chapter 2: Hospital Days

'_Roxas'_

The name of the golden fox echoed relentlessly through Axel's mind; it was such a melodic, nearly angelic sound that he would never, ever forget. It was simply an impossible thing to do.

He gazed at the bandages that covered his damaged body and it just pained him to think of what possibly could've happened to such a sweet creature. He pondered and pondered the possibilities with an intrigued mind as he kept looking over the bandages. Roxas seemed to notice such intense studying, for when Axel looked back at the young face, a light blush has spread across his cheeks, but there was a small, appreciative smile there too.

"I uh…. I never got to properly thank you for saving me and bringing me here…. So um…. Thank you. Thank you very much…." The blonde said shyly.

Axel smiled, "You're welcome. So, if you don't mind my asking, could you tell me what happened to you that left you so wounded?" he asked as he sat in the chair near the bed.

When the Shepard saw the fox tense up ever so slightly, he mentally questioned himself on if he made a mistake. He hoped he didn't reopen a wound in the fox's mind. He watched as Roxas drew in a shaky breath then somewhat relax.

"It was a wolf. A huge, silver wolf with terrible, turquoise eyes. I was walking through the forest like I do every day but… This time it was completely different. I knew that something wasn't right when everything went quiet. So I looked around and that's when I saw him, he just emanated danger and fear took me so quickly…. I- I just turned and ran. However he got me before I even managed to put ten paces between us." The blonde visibly shuddered as he delved deeper into his memory to recall the events.

'And the next thing I knew I was being beaten then ripped into. Blood was everywhere… _My_ blood…. He tore chucks out of me as if I were made of butter….' Another shudder.

'I managed to fend him off with my knife before fleeing. I'm not sure how long it was before I smelled your scent coming my way, but I was already too messed up to care. The rest, you already know. I'm very grateful; you gave me another chance at life. I'm forever in your debt for doing such a thing for someone like me. Thank you, thank you, thank you…."

The redhead was wide-eyed then. He knew something traumatic had to have happened but he would never have guessed it was something so terrible. He barely managed to choke out, "You're welcome."

The fox then quickly changed the subject, and Axel much appreciated it for he was far too engrossed in his own mind.

"Do you know when I can get out of here? I don't really like this place. It's…. Creepy….."

Roxas' sweet voice cut through his thoughts, pulling him out of his haze. The Shepard shook his head slightly to clear his mind.

"No, I don't know yet. Hopefully soon. I hear that foxes are quick healers, under the right conditions that is."

The fox brightened and nodded, his head slightly tilted to one side with his ears perked up.

"You heard correctly. Foxes are natural-born healers. Not to brag or anything but one time I fell down this really steep cliff and got a huge gash in my side about this big.' The fox made a gesture with his hands, estimating the size of the gash at about 14in long. "The rocks stripped a whole bunch of my skin off."

Axel's ears perked up in interest.

'_But_ luckily I managed to find this really dry place and some clove and geranium, and then boom. The wound was disinfected and healed in about eight days."

The Shepard couldn't help but grin, "Well it seems that you must have a damn good immune system for you to have lasted that long with an injury like that. I must say that I'm impressed. You shouldn't worry about having contracted anything from that encounter with the wolf. I think you're gonna be just fine. Just might take a while."

Axel earned a groan from Roxas at the mention of healing taking a long time, he hadn't been in the hospital long but it was obvious that he did _not_ like it at all. And he chuckled at the blonde's reaction.

Although blushing, Roxas actually _giggled_. Axel's eyes widened a bit at such a normal action from the blonde, given the current state he was in. And just like that, he was suddenly reassured. He knew then that the young fox would be alright. Roxas was a fighter with a bright and desperate will to carry on living, and he wasn't about to let anything happen to him anytime soon.

"Axel, visiting hours are almost up."

The Shepard turned his head and looked to the door; sure enough it was the little blonde nurse, back with Roxas' water. Out of habit, he looked to a clock on the wall and it said 8:13 p.m.

"Wow, time flies quickly. Huh…"

Turning his attention back to Roxas, who had pulled back the curtains to the window next to his bed to see the time of day, and it was already dark.

"Oh my gosh. How long was I out for? It was really early when I was attacked." The blonde asked, stunned.

"You were unconscious for about ten hours. Whatever got you must've done some serious mental and physical damage for you to be out for that long." Namine explained as she set the glass of cool water down on the table next to Roxas' bed.

"Great…. This is why I generally don't do naps. I'll be up all night now." Roxas complained with an exasperated sigh, still looking outside.

"Well I could give you a mild sedative/pain killer to help you sleep through tonight. You'll no doubt be in a serious amount of pain and you need sleep to recover properly." she offered.

Roxas' ears twitched as he considered taking the sedative. His arm started throbbing painfully and he winced slightly.

"How is it administered?" Roxas asked the little mouse.

"By needle." Namine answered.

"Oh hell….. I hate, hate, HATE needles….. They give me the freaking heebie jeebies…."

Axel chuckled softly and that earned him a playful glare from the fox.

"I'll hold your hand if you want Roxas." The redhead teased kindheartedly.

Roxas blushed and looked away from Axel, arms crossed.

"It's a very small injection. Itty-bitty needle, you won't even feel it. I promise." Namine assured.

Shoulders slumped, Roxas groaned softly; admitting defeat. It was either stay up all night in pain or man up and take a damn needle prick. He'd prefer the needle.

"Fine…. I'll take the sedative. I'd rather not be awake in excruciating pain all night."

"Alright. I'll be back in a little while to give you the sedative. And Axel, visiting hours ARE almost up." She repeated to the redhead.

"Aww Nami, can't you let me stay at least until you give Roxas the sedative? I'll be a good boy. I don't get into trouble anymore, honest. Please?" Axel pleaded.

Namine sighed, a grin spreading across her face.

"Alright, alright. But if your dumb butt gets caught I'm not covering for you this time. You'll have to face the horrible wrath of big sis Larxene on your own." She said, her grin turning into a devilish smirk after seeing Axel's reaction to the mention of 'Big sis Larxene'.

"Oh damn. That's harsh Nami. That cuts me really deep. You know that woman despises me."

"Why?" Roxas piped up in interest.

Axel looked at the blonde boy and grinned, "Because Larxene is psycho. She wouldn't leave me alone with her ideas of 'dating' and so I told her off and shut her down." Axel explained.

"So I'm guessing she doesn't take rejection well." The fox said with a snicker of amusement.

"No, not really." Namine said, giggling slightly.

"For a mouse, she can really punch…" Axel said, mentally wincing as he remembered how Larxene nearly broke his arm with a powerful blow.

"She _punched_ you?" Roxas asked and Axel chuckled.

"Yeah but look at me, I'm a tough guy. Little things like that barely hurt me at all!" the redhead boasted happily, reassuring Roxas.

Namine giggled, "Keep it down you big oaf. You have to be quiet and behave while I'm gone. If Larxene shows up, go hide in the closet." She instructed with her little grin before leaving.

Axel heard a soft _thunk _and he looked at the source of the noise, Roxas had chugged the glass of water left by Namine and had set it back down on the table, he grinned a bit.

"Thirsty much?" he teased.

Roxas rolled his eyes and chuckled softly, "Well wouldn't you be? Being unconscious for however many hours…"

The Shepard nodded, "True, I'd be pretty damn thirsty."

"See?" Roxas said with an "I'm-right-and-you're-wrong" sort of look.

"Yeah, yeah hush." Axel said with a smile, earning a soft giggle from the blonde.

Sooner than the redhead would've liked, Namine showed up with a small tray, its contents a cleansing wipe and needle, filled with a clear colored sedative. He heard Roxas groan softly at the sight of the needle, so Axel went to his side, grinning.

"Just look away and you won't even know it when it happens." The Shepard said sweetly, so Roxas turned his attention to the male at his bedside, grinning also. And before he knew it, Namine had administered the sedative and Axel could see the fox's eyes slowly drooping closed.

"You must think I'm a total wuss…." Roxas murmured; sleep taking him.

"Nah. Anyone who can hold their own against a wolf is automatically the bravest person I know." The emerald eyed Shepard responded softly and stayed until he was certain that the young fox was fast asleep.

~.~.~.~.~

Axel collected his jacket that was lazily thrown over the back of the chair and he left. The cool night air soothed any sense of unease or worry within him, and he practically skipped home. He hadn't felt this happy in such a long time; it was a very sudden but welcome emotion. Smiling, he thought about the fox; and a warm feeling inside melted the layer of frost over his heart. He mused the fox's name before chuckling softly.

"Roxas…"

~.~.~.~.~


End file.
